Out of all of the growing trends in tech, it's fitness trackers, smart watches and wearables that have the biggest potential for growth. Fitbit has taken the fitness tracker to new heights, while the Apple Watch has steadily grown in popularity since the first wave launched just a couple of years ago. Smart watches have all the benefits of fitness trackers, but with increased functionality, like the ability to control your tunes, send emails and take calls. Here's my list of the top 5 smart watches...

1. Apple Watch Series 3...

The Apple Watch is the best of the bunch and the recently announced third wave of timepieces are especially impressive, letting owners take calls, send messages and stream tunes without a phone in sight. This is particularly useful if you're out running and don't fancy lugging your bulky iPhone around.

The Cellular version of the Apple Watch currently only works with EE in the UK - more networks should be added soon - but even without the Cellular option, this is one impressive device.

The new dual-core processor ensures everything runs that little bit faster, Siri can now talk to you, while improved health, heart and activity tracking means the fitness benefits are second to none.

You can grab the Apple Watch Series 3 from the Apple website. The GPS-only model starts at £329.99, while the version that connects to your phone and has GPS starts at £399.99.

2. Samsung Gear S3 Frontier...

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Frontier is arguably more stylish than the Apple Watch, featuring a more traditional design that's tailor-made for the adventurers among you.

Samsung has achieved this with a classic round watch face, luxury strap and always-on display that can be customised with lots of different designs. The twist is that by turning the 1.3" Amoled display you can answer and make calls, check apps and monitor all of your fitness goals.

Built-in GPS gives you all your location info on the go, while dust, dirt and water resistance makes it perfect for athletes. But what I really like is the four day battery, which wipes the floor with many of its rivals.

Fitbit has cracked the fitness tracker market, and now it's branching out into full blown smart watches. The Fitbit Ionic is the company's luxury new smart device that offers all the benefits of a regular fitness tracker, but with a few extras thrown in on top.

This includes improved heart-tracking and sleep tracking, which is all powered by a five day battery. Fitness fanatics will love the guided workouts, plus there are lots of nifty little touches like automatic pausing for when you stop running to grab a drink or cross the road.

Then there's the on-board music, notifications and a whole host of apps that you can use to make life easier, including contactless payments.

With interchangeable leather bands and custom watch faces, the LG Watch Style is the smart watch for anybody who values premium design above all else.

The LG Watch Style features impressive voice and motion controls with Google Now, especially when using the watch dial to effortlessly scroll through the apps and find what you want. It's speedy and responsive, which is exactly what you want from a device that's supposed to make your life run smoother.

Elsewhere, Google Fit is another excellent fitness system, Play Store integration is extremely handy, and the water resistance adds sturdiness to the style.

The Huawei Watch 2 is fit to burst with useful features, including a built-in heart-rate monitor that works with lots of different fitness apps to ensure your health and well being are constantly being tracked.

Huawei is also proud of its Android Pay NFC technology, which lets you pay for things without getting out your wallet. Then there's the Android Wear app store, which contains a ton of apps that have been purpose built for smart watches.

The sleek and stylish design is the icing on the cake. The Huawei Watch 2 has that traditional design, so you won't ever look out of place wearing one.

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About Liam Martin

I love gadgets, gizmos and games and look forward to a future where humans and robots can co-exist peacefully. My most wanted list includes an Apple/Samsung smartphone hybrid, a flying Lamborghini and a virtual reality-based job where I don't have to leave the house.